Machine for cutting sheet-stock.



H. A'. PERKINS. MACHINE FOR CUTTING VSHEET STOCK. APPLICATION FIQED APR. 20| 1916.

1 1 99,49 3 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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H. A. PERKINS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET STOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1916.

H. A. PERKINS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET STOCK.

APPLICATION msn APR.20. 1916.

1 ,l 99,493. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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H. A. PERKINS:

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET STOCK.. APPLICATION FILED APR.20.1916.

1 1 99,49 3 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

6 SH SETS-SHEET 4.

H. A. PERKINS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET STOCK.

Y APPLICATION FILED APH. 20, |916. 1,1 99,493. l Patented Sept. 26, 19l6.

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H. A.4 PERKINS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET STOCK.

APPLlcAmN mw APR. 20. 1916.

l l 99,493 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

HIRAM A. PERKINS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,V ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SPLINT CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom if may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM A. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, Monroe county, New York,

have invented a new and useful Improve-` ment in Machines for Cutting Sheet-Stock, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting sheet stock, and the object of my invention is to produce asimple, efficient and very rapid working machine for cutting sheet stock into small members or articles, and especially to produce a machine which is particularly adapted for rapidly cutting match sticks or the like from sheet stock such as wood veneers.

Other objects of my invention are to construct and arrange the machine so that the rotary cutter head with numerous knives shall cut smoothly over a fixed anvil, the anvil and knives being placed in such relation that the splints or other articles shall be cut squarely and smoothly, to arrange the stock feed and cutter head so that when the cutter head is adj usted with relation to thef'anvil. the feed will be correspondingly moved, and thus there will be no disruption of the relationship between the stock feed and the cutter head; to provide means for holding the stock flat on the anvil up to the veryedge of the latter, so that the stock cannot be cocked or twisted and perfect splints or other articles can therefore be cut; to provide a bridge between the feed table and the anvil covering the gap in which the feed rolls run, so that a smooth surface will always be presented to the stock and there will be no danger of the stock becoming clogged in the table gap; and in general to make a machine which will cut splints or other articles rapidly and well from veneer or other sheet stock.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of a part of the machine. Fig. "3 is a cross section through the cutter head and stock feed. Fig. 4 is a detail end view of the cutter head with the knives Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 20, 1916.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916. serial No. 92,438.

and knife blocks removed from all but one section of the cutter head. Fig. 5 is a broken plan view of the cutter head. Fig. 6 is a broken front elevation of one of the knife bars. Fig. 7 is an end or edge view of one of the knife bars. Fig. S is an enlarged detail elevation of the feed mechanism. Fig. 9 is a cross section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a broken plan view of the slide frame which carries the cutter head and feed mechanism. Fig. 11 is a view of one end of the slide frame. Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail plan of one of the feed rolls and a part of the feed table, and Fig. 13 is a cross section of the structure shown in Fig. 12.

The machine is provided with a suitable table 10 which is flat o n top and preferably has a hollow base as shown in Fig. 3, and on the top of the frame is arranged the feed table 11 over which the sheet stock is fed to the cutter head. The feed table 11 has at its inner end an extension 12 which forms the anvil, at the inner end o-f which the stock is cut, and the gap between the members 11 and 12 is bridged at intervals by the bridge plates, 13 which are let into the face of the table 11 as shown in Figs. 12 and 18, and which at their front ends have a dovetailed or notched connection, as shown at 14, with the anvil member 12. Thus a simple continuous table is formed, and the bridge members 13 prevent the sheet stock from dipping into the gap between the members 11 and l2. The feed table can be moved inward toward the member 12 and fastened in place, and to this end it has slots 16 (see Fig. 1) in the sides through which the bolts 15 enter, and these secure the feed table to the frame l0. Obviously other equivalent means of adjusting and fastening the table may be used without affecting the invention. Near opposite edges of the table are gage strips 17 which are held by bolts 18 and which are adjusted to fit and guide the stock which is being fed across the table top. The sheet stock enters the machine in relatively wide strips, and assuming that ythe stock is to be cut into match splints or the like, the grain 19 and 20 (see Figs. 8, 12 and 13) which are arranged one above the other, and are preferably knurled so as to engage the upper and lower4 sides of the stock. Between the rolls at intervals are slitting knives 21 which are arranged as shown in Fig. 8, and the stock passing between the feed rolls is slit by these overlapping knives. There is nothing new about this slitting arrangement, but it is shown so that the working of the machine can be clearly understood. rFhe feed rolls are carried by shafts 22 and 23 placed one above the other, and these are mounted in vertically adjustable boxes 25 and 26 moving in supporting posts or brackets 27, and the upper box is covered by a bonnet 23 and is in contact with a disk 29 which is pressed downward by a spring 30, the latter being backed by a screw 32, so that by adjusting the screw the tension on the box 25 can be regulated and the feed rolls made to bear with the right degree of friction on the stock whichl passes between them.

The upper and lower shafts 22 and 23 are geared together as shown at 30 in Fig. 8, and the gearing is contained in a housing 31a which has a movable top 32@L (see Fig. 8). rThe lower shaft 23 is provided with a driving gear 33, and a friction plate 33a shown by dotted lines in F ig. 8, enters the gear and is pressed into driving contact therewith by a spring 34 which is backed by a nut 35 (see Fig. 8). The gear is loose on the shaft and the friction plate is keyed thereto, but this is not shown in detail, neither is it claimed nor is the invention limited to any particular form of friction drive. It is important, however, to have a slip or friction drive on the shaft 23, or at least between the shaft and the shaft of the cutter head, as presently referred to, so that the friction drive will be strong enough to run the feeding and slitting mechanism above described, but in case of clogging, the friction member will slip so that no accident can happen to the machine.

The gear 33 is provided with a gear case comprising a lower member 36 and an upper member 37, the upper member being hinged to a suitable support as shown at 38, and provided with an offset 39au covering the pinion 39 on the driving shaft 40 of the cutter head 46 which will be presently referred to. It will be seen that this arrangement covers the gears, but at the same time the casing can be easily removed so that the pinion 39 and gear wheel 33 can be changed if it is desired to change the feed of the machine.

It is very important to have the stock which is to be cut held firmly up to the very edge of the anvil 12, and to this end l employ a series of tension springs 42 which are arranged to bear flatwise on the top of the anvil as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, and these springs extend beneath the upper shaft 22 of the feed rollers and bearagainst the under side of the shaft, the rear ends of the springs being turned upward as shown at 43 and secured by bolts 44 or equivalent fastenings, to the cross-bar 41 which extends across the machine above the table top, and is fastened by suitable nuts 45. It will be seen that this arrangement makes the springs 42 very stiff, as they have the shaft 22 for a fulcrum, and they thus bear firmly upon the stock which passes between them and the anvil 12.

The cutter head 46 is preferably a solid head or drum, and its shaft 40 is hung soV that the stock from the feed table will befed directly to the axial center of the cutter head. It is provided with a plurality of knives 47 spaced apart around its periph-- ery, and travels so that the knives will!` cut in almost alinement with the inner face of the anvil 12, and attention is called to the fact that the anvil is not a knife, but simply a plane flat surface, its inner por tion being also a plane which is perpendicular to the top surface, and the knives 47l as they rotate almost touch the inner and upper corner of the anvil. I find that a smoother cut can be obtained with this arrangement than by having the anvil in the form of a knife, as the stock can be held firmer and the edges of the cutter head knives can be safely brought into closer relation to the edge of the anvil. The knives 47 are held tangentially on the cutter-head, and their inner sides bear against the flat tangential surface 48-which is planed on the cutter head, while the back edges of the i knives rest against la shoulder 49 on the knife-bar 50 which clamps the knife 47 to the cutter head. The knife-bar 50 is relieved on the inner side as shown at 51 so that the knife bar will press the knife'47 closely against the surface of the cutter head, and the outer part of the knife bar is thinned or beveled as shown at 50n to provide for clearance as it passes the anvil 12. i

The back edge of each knife-bar abuts with the shoulder 52 which is produced radially on the cutter head, and each knife bar is clamped to the cutter head by a bolt 53 having a nut 54 at its outer end which fits in a countersunk socket 55 on the knife-A bar, while at its inner end the bolt is provided with a head 55et (see Fig. 4) which fits in a groove 56 which is produced longitudinally in the cutter head. The shank of rthe bolt extends through a groove 57 in the frame 58a (see Figs. l0 and 11) which is adjustable in and out on the top of the frame 10, and the slide frame carries the cutter head and also the supports 27 of the feed roll shafts 22 and 23, and the housing 3l, so that only the anvil l2 is always stationary. The cutter head can be adjusted in and out with reference to the anvil, and the feed mechanism has a fixed relation to the cutter head. Any suitable means can be employed for effecting this adjustment but I have shown a special means for accomplishing it. The slide frame 563il is provided with lower portions 58 of a housing which incloses the cutter head, and in the slide frame are elongated slots 59 (see Fig. l0) which receive the bolts 60 by which the slide frame is fastened to the main frame 10. The top of the housing for the cutter head is formed of a removable hood Gl, and the lower part of the housing carries the boxes 62 for the shaft 40 of the cutter head, and the boxes are held together by bolts 63. I have shown the shaft 40 provided with a driving pulley 64, but it can be driven by any suitable means.

I'Vhile the slide frame 5S.a can be adjusted in many ways, a simple way is to provide screws 65 which are journaled in a part of the frame l0 and have collars 66 to prevent their longitudinal movement, and these screws enter a threaded part of the frame as shown at 67 so that by turning the screws and loosening the bolts 60, the slide frame and the parts which it carries, can be very accurately adjusted, after which the bolts 60 can be tightened to hold the frame in place.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the housing 58 merging in a chute 59 which delivers the splints or other articles cut from the stock downward through the frame 10, and the inner wall of this housing should fit snugly beneath the anvil 12 so that there will be no chance for the cut articles to become clogged or scattered.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have devised a machine which can be made to cut sheet stock very accurately into small articles, and in practice I have used it in cutting splints for matches and find that the stock is cut very smoothly and uniformly, and that the adjustment of the cutter head and feed is accurate and convenient. It will be further observed that the wide sheet of stock can be fed into the machine, that it will be automatically slit into ribbons of the right width, and that these are cut with great rapidity by the rapidly rotating cutter head.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the I claim r- 1. A machine of the kind described comprising a rotary cutter head, a stationary anvil opposite the cutter head, a stock feed, and means for simultaneously adjusting the cutter head and stock feed with relation to the anvil.

2. A machine of the kind described comprising a rotatable cutter head, a stock feed to supply stock to the cutter head, said feed having a fixed relation to the cutter head, a stationary anvil between the stock feed and the cutter head, and means for adjusting the cutter head back and forth with relation to the anvil.

3. A machine of the kind described comprising a feed table, a stationary anvil having a flat top substantially level with and forming an extension of the feed table, said anvil terminating at its inner edge in a sharp angle, means for feeding stock across the table and anvil, and a rotary cutter head adjacent to the anvil having tangentially arranged knives on its surface adapted to shear across-the inner face of the anvil.

4. The combination with the anvil and the feed rollers behind the anvil, of the tension springs parallel with the stock feed extending beneath the upper roller which serves as a fulcrum therefor, Athe inner ends of said tension springs pressing against the anvil top close to its inner edge.

5. In a machine of the kind described the combination with the anvil having a flat top, and the lshaft behind and adjacent to the anvil, of flat tension members secured to a fiXed support behind the shaft, said members extending beneath the shaft parallel with the stock feed and bearing upon the anvil top close to its inner edge.

6. A machine of the kind described comprising a fixed anvil, a slide frame, a rotary cutter head carried by the slide frame and turning opposite the anvil, feed rollers arranged behind the anvil and upon the slide frame, and means for adjusting the slide frame with relation to the anvil.

7. A machine of the kind described comprising a stationary anvil, a slide frame movable back and forth with relation to the anvil, a cutter head carried by the slide frame, a stock feed arranged behind the anvil and also carried by the slide frame, and a screw' mechanism for adjusting the slide frame.

HIRAM A. PERKINS.

Witnesses WARREN B. I-IUTCHINSON, M. G. ODONNELL.

"Commissioner of Patenti.

Washington, D. C. 

